The Iberian Peninsula has been occupied for many millennia. Some of Europe’s most impressive Palaeolithic cultural sites are located here and the famous caves at Altamira, Cantabria contain spectacular paintings which date from about 15000-25000 years ago. The Basques are the first identifiable people in the peninsula and are the oldest surviving group in Europe. Their origin is much debated and their language is unique in that it has no proven links to any other language anywhere in the world! Iberians arrived from South Africa during a more recent period.

Beginning in the ninth century BC Phoenicians Greeks Carthaginians and Celts entered the Iberian Peninsula followed by the Romans who arrived in the second century BC. Spain’s present language religion and laws stem from the Roman period. Although the Visigoths arrived in the fifth century AD the last Roman strongholds along the southern coast did not fall until the seventh century AD. In 711 North African Moors sailed across the straits swept into Andalucia and within a few years pushed the Visigoths up the peninsula to the Cantabrian Mountains. The Reconquest-efforts to drive out the Moors lasted until 1492. By 1512 the unification of present-day Spain was complete.

During the 16th century Spain became the most powerful nation in Europe due to the immense wealth derived from its presence in the Americas. But a series of long costly wars and revolts capped by the defeat by the English of the “Invincible Armada” in 1588 began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy over succession to the throne consumed the country during the 18th and 19th centuries leading to occupation by France in the early 1800s.

The 19th century saw the revolt and independence of most of Spain’s colonies in the Western Hemisphere; three wars over the succession issue; the brief ousting of the monarchy and establishment of the First Republic (1873-74); and finally the Spanish-American War (1898) in which Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States. A period of dictatorial rule (1923-31) ended with the establishment of the Second Republic. It was dominated by increasing political polarization culminating in the leftist Popular Front electoral victory in 1936. Pressures from all sides coupled with growing and unchecked violence led to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936.

Following the victory of his nationalist forces in 1939 Gen. Francisco Franco ruled a nation exhausted politically and economically. Spain was officially neutral during World War II but followed a pro-Axis policy. The victorious Allies isolated Spain at the beginning of the post-war period and the country did not join the United Nations until 1955. In 1959 under International Monetary Fund stabilization plan the country began liberalizing trade and capital flows – particularly direct foreign investment.

Despite the success of economic liberalization Spain remained the most closed economy in Western Europe-judged by the small measure of foreign trade to economic activity-and the pace of reform slackened during the 1960s as the state remained committed to “guiding” the economy.

Nevertheless in the 1960s and 1970s Spain was transformed into a modern industrial economy with a thriving tourism sector. Its economic expansion led to improved income distribution and helped develop a large middle class. Social changes brought about by economic prosperity and the inflow of new ideas helped set the stage for Spain’s transition to democracy during the latter half of the 1970s and within twenty years (1995) Spain had joined the European Union and was a founder member of the ‘Euroland’ in 2002.

Upon the death of General Franco in November 1975 Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón y Borbón Franco’s personally designated heir assumed the titles of king and chief of state. Dissatisfied with the slow pace of post-Franco liberalization in July 1976 the King replaced Franco’s last prime minister with Adolfo Suarez. Suarez entered office promising that elections would be held within one year and his government moved to enact a series of laws to liberalize the new regime.

Spain’s first elections to the Cortes (parliament) since 1936 were held on June 15 1977. Prime Minister Suarez’s Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) a moderate centre-right coalition won 34% of the vote and the largest bloc of seats in the Cortes.

Under Suarez the new Cortes set about drafting a democratic constitution which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in a December 1978 national referendum. So within forty years Spain has moved from a dictatorship to a post-industrialised democracy where José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s P.S.O.E (left of centre labour party / Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) hold power. There is much conjecture about his victory in the March 2004 elections which were held just hours after terrorist atrocities in Madrid when192 people died and over 2000 were injured. The incumbent Partido Popular were expected to win but in the three days between the atrocities and the elections the entire face of Spanish politics changed’¦’¦’¦’¦’¦’¦…’¦perhaps for ever?